


Heartbreak

by Shinan7



Category: Naruto
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - After College/University, Angst, Heartbreak, M/M, Sasuke's an asshole, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-26
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-05-29 03:34:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6357265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shinan7/pseuds/Shinan7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Naruto has his world crashing down, yet maybe it's there's someone to fix all the pieces. <br/>AU, yaoi, Sasuke/Naruto turns into Gaara/Naruto <br/>Complete</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto does not belong to me.

Note: This story is AU, a Yaoi, and really Angsty. If you do not like any of that, I suggest you turn back now.

Pairings: Sasuke/Naruto, Gaara/Naruto.

Chapter One: Broken Heart

Things were long since past being fuzzy, but that didn't really matter because fuzzy was good. Fuzzy was his best friend, and anything other than fuzzy was unacceptable. Fuzzy meant no pain.

Once things went back to unfuzzy... Now that would bring back the pain, or it would make him so depressed that he would become reckless and end up blacking out at some unknown location.

No, right now, fuzzy it was. Fuzzy was great.

Naruto gazed down at the shot glass in his hand. He'd stopped count at his fifth drink, but vaguely, he wondered exactly how much he had consumed. The bartender that had been there when Naruto had first stumbled into the bar had left on some sort of emergency and his replacement hadn't exactly asked how much Naruto had gotten before him.

It wasn't like Naruto was a loud drunk either way, so the guy probably wouldn't throw him into a cab any time soon.

And considering how busy it was...

After a moment, Naruto picked up the shot glass and tossed the alcohol into his mouth. It burned on its way down, but Naruto paid it no mind. He signaled for another, and tossed that one back as well. He was an emotional wreck and a little burn was nothing compared to the shattered pieces of his heart.

The fuzzy feeling dimmed slightly.

Damn, but why did it have to hurt so bad? Shouldn't he have been expecting it?

Damn, Sasuke. Damn him to hell. The stupid fucking bastard. Naruto shouldn't have fallen for him, he shouldn't have.

It was bullshit.

He was bullshit.

Bullshit.

Bullshit.

Bullshit.

Bullshit!

Two years, and all of it is gone in less than a minute. And the asshole didn't even break up with him to his face. No, no, no, no. Naruto had thought he would at least warrant that.

Apparently not.

Not a call.

Not a text message.

No, Naruto had gotten an email.

Two years together and friends since their junior year in high school, and all he'd gotten was one measly email!

An email with under ten words, including the bastards name.

Naruto, it's not working out.

Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke didn't even wait until he got back from his business trip. The stupid fucking bastard had left and then not even a day later had emailed Naruto that life shattering message.

Naruto didn't understand it. They had been doing great, sure they'd had their arguments, their disagreements but nothing to ever break up over. Every couple did that. Every couple argued or had differences in opinion. They hadn't even really argued that whole week. Both of them had been busy with their work. Sasuke with more training from his father and uncle, and Naruto with his research projects and keeping Itachi's schedule up to date. They both worked for the same company, though in different buildings since the Uchiha Corporation had widespread influence and had a hand in literally everything. Every once in a while, Sasuke would be in the building that Naruto worked at but that was a rare occurrence.

In fact, that was how they'd met up again after losing touch with each other.

After graduating high school, Sasuke had gone off to college, while Naruto... Well, he hadn't. And his life for around six months had been pretty desperate. The foster home he had been in... they'd kicked Naruto out as soon as he'd gotten his diploma. The bastard of his foster father hadn't even waited a day.

Naruto had had nothing except for his backpack and whatever he could fit in it, which wasn't a lot. He'd ended up on the streets, luckily, it was summer and he hadn't been freezing his ass off. It was hard, but Naruto had managed to make enough money by taking a few odd jobs here and there.

Then, Naruto had applied for a receptionist job at UC, and he'd gotten it. For over a year, Naruto had worked the long ours. He started off at the main entrance, then slowly, he'd gotten the attention of some of the higher ups which was unusual. Naruto didn't know how but he wasn't about to let the opportunities slip by.

By the end of it, Naruto had become Itachi Uchiha's secretary. That had come as an unexpected surprise. Naruto remembered Sasuke talking about him, about how he was very smart and an excellent businessman, even better than their father. Itachi had even, by the age of nineteen, taken over one of the branches of the family business. Even though Sasuke didn't say it, Naruto saw how jealous he was of his older brother. Not that Naruto could blame him, in all honesty.

A few years after that, Sasuke had graduated from college, and had been sent to his older brother, Itachi Uchiha, for some training in their family business.

It had been a surprise to Sasuke, though Naruto had been maybe expecting it to happen at some point. Sasuke and Itachi were brothers after all. He'd even told Itachi about being friends with Sasuke in high school, though it had been after a few months of being his secretary. Didn't want his boss to think that he wanted a raise or something like that just because he mentioned Sasuke after all.

They had been good friends in the latter years of high school, though Naruto hadn't been sure whether Sasuke would care to renew their friendship after all that time.

Naruto had apparently worried over nothing, because as soon as Sasuke had seen him at the meeting, it was like they'd just seen each other only the day before. Friendly jeering and insults were thrown around, just like they used to. It had been nice, an old routine being reinstated.

And a few months after that... Sasuke had kissed him.

Needless to say, Naruto had been shocked, but he'd also been excited. He'd had a crush on Sasuke during high school but Naruto could never tell Sasuke because he didn't want to ruin his first friendship. He'd locked it down and thrown away the key. Therefore, he'd never told anyone about his sexual preferences, not that anyone would have cared to know anyway. But that kiss from Sasuke...

It changed everything. And Naruto had kissed Sasuke back. From that moment on, they had grown closer than ever. Eventually, Naruto had moved in with Sasuke. Things were great, they were amazing, his life could not have been going any better.

Then the email..

And now...

Sasuke wouldn't even pick up any of Naruto's calls. At first, they would ring, then they would be sent to voicemail. After a few times of that, suddenly all of his calls were being sent directly to voicemail.

The last few times that Naruto had tried to call, it was answered but only by an automated voice telling him that the number was no longer available.

The prickling of tears made Naruto realize that he needed to get out. He only got this emotional when he'd drank too much, and considering that he'd been here more than five hours and he didn't remember how many drinks, it was high time he left.

Unsteadily, Naruto pushed himself away from the bar, and made his way through the swaying bodies to the doors. It really wasn't a night club sort of bar but they did have a dancing area and it seemed that tonight was one of those kind of nights. A few times, Naruto accidently stumbled into someone, before finally making it out of the building.

Thankfully his hotel room wasn't that far away so he wouldn't have a long way to go. If he was still living with Sasuke, that would be a different story.

After longer than he would have wanted, Naruto finally made it to the hotel. It wasn't anything fancy, far from it, but it was the only place Naruto had for the moment since he had taken all his things, mostly clothes, and moved out of the apartment that he had shared with Sasuke.

Of course he had friends that he could technically stay with, but most if not all of his friends were also friends with Sasuke. They had also been friends longer with Sasuke. It was only in junior year of high school when Naruto had started being friends with them, while they had stayed in touch with Sasuke after graduation, none had with Naruto. Being homeless hadn't helped in that since Naruto really couldn't have stayed in contact.

Before junior year, Naruto had been a loner. Not by choice, no- far from it. Naruto had an outspoken, and an outgoing personality. A jokester, a prankster. Attention seeker.

People just hated his name. Not because of anything he'd done, but because of his family. His older brother had been a serial killer. He'd murdered many women and men. Now he was in a high security prison cell. Trials were still on their way. It seemed like every year, more bodies, more victims were connected to Kurama.

Kurama was never going to be free again.

But because Naruto shared Kurama's last name...

Naruto Uzumaki.

Kurama Uzumaki.

And he shared his blood.

Just because they were brothers, related, people thought that Naruto would turn out just like Kurama.

And so they hated Naruto. He was a pariah. Parents told their children to avoid him. People told relatives about his past, that he was a demon like his brother. That he would become a murderer, a monster. That it was only a matter of time before it happened.

Sasuke had been the only one to talk to him them, but that was more fighting each other than talking. But it had been an outlet for Naruto's frustration. For his pain. The one thing he could always look forward to were his fights with Sasuke.

Naruto shut the door and slid down it, staring blankly up at the ceiling, thoughts still in the past.

Then they'd somehow become friends. He remembered it well. Naruto had been on his way home. Dark had long since descended, but Naruto always stayed away from his foster home as long as possible.

He wasn't liked, not by anyone.

His foster parents... Well, they had loathed him. It was a wonder that they kept him for a long as they did. Though, now that Naruto thought about it, he had been Mizuki's punching bag. The man would keep him around just for that. And the money he received for taking in Naruto was also another motivation for the drunk to keep him.

Until he graduated, that is.

His life was fucked up. Naruto thought that he'd finally found his happiness... He should have remembered that everything he touched, everything he loved, ended up leaving him. Nothing and no one stayed with him long. Parents, dead the day he was born. Brother, a serial killer. Friends... not really his friends. Lover...

Naruto banged his head against the door behind him as the tears rolled down his face. He gritted his teeth together to keep the sobs back.

He wasn't going not cry, not again. Not over him.

It was easy thinking that. Actually doing it, that was the most difficult thing. Naruto had given Sasuke his everything.

Everything.

So why?

Why did Sasuke have to end it? Why?

Hadn't Sasuke loved him?

Or had it been a lie?

A heartbreaking lie.

Naruto's chest heaved as tried to hold back his tears. Blue eyes, dull and full of pain. Face drawn, the smile gone from the normally happy face. With a broken voice, Naruto finally spoke for the first time other than ordering drinks. "Fuck you, Sasuke. Fuck you."

A/N: Another short story I'm working on. Let me know what you think and if you find this interesting. I'm wondering whether to continue it or leave it as a one-shot, still haven't decided.

Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

For a few weeks Naruto was a complete and utter wreck. Drinking and working were the only constant things in his life during that time. Not that work was very productive in all honesty. Every day he would stumble into the office building, hungover from a night of drinking, and his appearance left a lot to be desired.

Shabby suits, wrinkled shirts, tie askew, and shoes that could use a good polishing were a new norm for him. Hell, spitting on his shoes, and wiping them down with a dirty rag would be an improvement over their current condition.

His normal brightly shining blond hair was a shade duller and hung limply over his face.

In all his misery, Naruto failed to care about his overall physical appearance.

Every once in awhile, Naruto would wonder how he hadn't been fired by Itachi yet. Any other boss would have given up on him within the first week of his screw ups and subpar reports.

Those thoughts didn't stick around and were soon chased away as the liquor raced its way burning way down his esophagus.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The days blurred together.

A night of heavy drinking, followed by a painful day at work. The headaches never went away, neither did the nausea or misery. Contact with other humans was avoided like the plague.

Yes, he saw the disapproving glares, the head shakes and the comments but Naruto was indifferent to what they said about him.

He was in self destruct mode, and he didn't give a flying fuck about anything anymore.

The few times Naruto thought of his feigned indifference he also heard the little voice in the back of his head calling him a liar.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Chug drink after drink.

Stumble on the way to the hotel.

Puke during the night.

Flinch at the light.

Head into work.

Avoid any human contact.

Leave, head to the bar for another drink.

Somewhere in the middle of all that chaos, he would have something to eat. If his stomach would let him.

That was his new routine, his new life…

But...

What was he? Who was he? Because he didn't feel like Naruto anymore.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Dull blue eyes stared down at the glass in front of him.

He was miserable.

It was getting too much. Naruto was sick. Sick and tired of it all. Of the drinking, the nausea, the pain.

He needed to stop. Yes, he was in an emotional maelstrom, but getting drunk every night was only making him feel worse. Nothing was making him feel better. It wasn't doing anything but making it harder to stop thinking about Sasuke.

Sasuke.

Sasuke.

Sasuke.

His every other thought seemed to be about that stupid bastard.

Naruto needed to stop. Needed to get his life together. To stop letting the bastard win.

The blond man rose from his seat, leaving the last shot of vodka untouched on the bar counter. He departed the building, fighting his every instinct to go back and drink that shot.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Everyday Naruto would walk past the bar. Sometimes he would go in, and buy a drink.

Sometimes he would drink it, and other times, he would leave before touching it.

On the days he did drink Naruto felt disappointed and disgusted with his lack of self control.

Each day that passed he tried harder to stop his unnecessary drinking.

Slowly, Naruto managed to stop going to the bar. He started taking alternate routes in order to avoid the temptation to stop for a drink or more.

Little by little Naruto pulled his life back together.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The soft click of his fingers tapping at the keyboard sounded surprisingly louder than normal to Naruto. The normally hectic work area was more quiet than was normal and the tapping seemed to only intensify with every key that he pressed.

Unsurprisingly, the report was twice as long as the original one that he'd done a few weeks before, and would likely end up even longer since he had yet to get even get halfway through.

A few quiet hours passed with very little noise and even less activity from the rest of the employees. Naruto glanced up from his screen for a moment, a slight frown on his face as he contemplated the area around him. A few of his co-workers drifted through every so often, but the noise was minimal at best. He shook his head slightly before turning back to the computer screen in front of him. He didn't have the time to wonder where everyone was. The report was do by the end of the day and his boss wouldn't be impressed at this rate. It was bad enough that his work had taken a slight nosedive ever since he'd gotten thatemail.

Itachi Uchiha had cornered Naruto earlier that week and had given him a stern scolding. God, if Naruto ever felt a teenager in trouble, that day definitely took the cake. But the talk had gotten all of Naruto's mind out of his slump. Naruto could think about the mess that his life had become at a later time, now he needed to concentrate on actually doing his job.

Just because his life with Sasuke had ended with no real clear explanation that didn't mean that Naruto should give up living.

With firm determination, Naruto pushed any and all thoughts of Sasuke out of his mind and set to work.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Naruto knocked on the door and reached for the door handle as soon as he heard Itachi give the okay to enter. The door swung open the door and stepped stiffly over to Itachi to hand in his finished report.

For the most part Itachi looked calm and uninterested, but as he went through the pages the corner of his lip turned up slightly. The man finished reading and set the papers down to the right of him before locking his eyes on Naruto. "Excellent. This is exactly why I wanted you to work with me, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, trying not to shift, knowing that Itachi hadn't exactly been pleased with his previous weeks performance. Not that Naruto blamed him, he hadn't really been trying at all. For a while, Naruto had simply been doing only enough to get by.

Itachi studied him for a moment, his gaze intense before he sighed. "I know Sasuke and you aren't seeing each other anymore."

At those words, Naruto couldn't hold back the flinch, and he had to drop his gaze. This was not something that he wanted to talk about, especially not with his boss. Really, he wished Itachi wouldn't have said anything. Breaking down in the middle of work was not something Naruto felt like doing. Especially since he'd finally managed to get his shit together. Or mostly together.

Itachi continued, his gaze sympathetic. "I just wanted you to know I understand why your performance dropped. But you can't let your personal life affect your work." Itachi finished firmly.

Naruto nodded, hoping that Itachi was done speaking. He had pulled himself together. He was separating his personal life from his work life and thankfully, Naruto had been able to. It had taken him a while, but he'd managed and would continue to do so.

"I also wanted to say that I think Sasuke made a mistake with the way he ended things with you."

At that, Naruto's eyes shot open in surprise. Itachi was looking at him and Naruto thought he saw a bit of distress in his gaze. That was definitely not something Naruto had been expecting.

"Sasuke... Sasuke isn't thinking. I am his brother, and I love and care for him, yet I cannot condone his actions. I have come to think of you as a friend and had been thinking of you as family because of your relationship with Sasuke. I know you love him. Sasuke knew this as well. He loved you, but it seems not as much as you do him."

Naruto had to tear his gaze away from Itachi and kept his eyes on a corner of the room. It was hard looking at Itachi. Yes, Itachi was his boss, but they really had become friends...in a way. It was inevitable not to, what with the blossoming relationship with Sasuke...

But that relationship was over. Naruto hadn't thought that Itachi's friendship would continue after the breakup.

"I do not feel that it's right for me to tell you the reason why he broke up with you, because I am his brother, but I also do not like how he's cut you from his life. He should have at least explained his decision to you."

Naruto hadn't been able to believe the words that were coming out of Itachi's mouth, but he spoke up at that bit. He didn't want Itachi to feel bad over anything that Sasuke had done. Yes, he wanted to know why, but at the same time he didn't want to hear any excuses. At least not from Itachi. "It's okay, Itachi. I don't want you to feel guilty for not telling me. As much as I hate it, Sasuke needs to be the one to tell me. If he ever does, but that is up to him. It is not your responsibility." Naruto assured Itachi.

After a second, Itachi nodded in understanding. He still looked concerned, but Naruto hoped that he wouldn't be stressed over Sasuke's choices. Itachi worried enough as it was. "If you need to talk more I will be here. I assure you that anything you tell me will not be passed on to Sasuke."

"Thank you, Itachi. I'll remember that." Naruto managed to smile. Itachi didn't want their friendship to end, that was good. Naruto did have friends after all, he hadn't been as lonely as he felt. He hadn't exactly reached out to anyone the past few days, instead he had chosen to close himself off from everyone.

It had pretty much been his mission. Along with trips to the bar, of course.

Naruto had friends. He just had to remind himself that there were people that cared for him. Like Itachi.

But at the same time, Naruto knew that he wasn't going to burden Itachi with his own personal life. He knew that Itachi might feel responsible for Sasuke's actions (he was his older brother after all) and Naruto didn't want Itachi to feel torn.

"Go on home, I just need to finish a couple of things, you don't need to stay." Itachi stated.

Naruto nodded and waved goodbye before leaving the office and heading to his desk to pack up his notes and papers. He needed to catch up on a few more things, but those he could easily do from his hotel room.

Hotel... He really should start looking for an apartment of his own. Even if it was just a studio apartment. It was odd but he was getting sick of walking to the hotel room day after day. Maybe because he really couldn't say that it was his. Couldn't think of it as his. It was just a room with things that he was using. Who knew how many people had slept in the bed. Or the pillows.

….Or what they'd done on it.

A sudden thought hit him, and he couldn't stop himself from asking the question out loud. "They wash the pillows, right? They have to... Don't they?" He shuddered in revulsion.

Suddenly, Naruto didn't feel like going back to the hotel room. He bought a newspaper, and immediately turned to the housing section. It was obvious that he probably wouldn't find anything soon, but it didn't hurt to look.

Maybe he would get lucky.

"Yeesh, these guys are vultures." Naruto grumbled as he looked at the asking price for rent.

He found a not too shabby apartment the next day, and luckily, it was at a discounted price. Something about renovations needed.

OoOoOoOoOoOo A few months later OoOoOoOoOoOo

Naruto found himself at the bar again, sitting at an empty table this time instead of the bar counter like he had when he'd been drinking.

Instead of drinking shots or something equally as strong, all Naruto had was a glass of light beer.

It was something he hadn't really drank since that last weekend before Sasuke had left. Not saying that he never took shots or anything strong during that time, it was just the norm to have a bottle or two of beer with friends and that was about it. Maybe a few margaritas or bloody mary's if they had the mixes, but his usual drink was beer.

It had been a fun time. Relaxing even. It certainly never felt like it would be the last time they would have a good time together with their friends as a couple.

Naruto shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memory. He'd hadmemories of back then over the past few months, but thankfully, they'd slowed to a couple every few weeks. It seemed like he was finally getting over Sasuke instead of just telling himself he was over him.

From what he'd heard through the gossip grapevine at work; Sasuke had been offered a position in Otogakure shortly before breaking it off with Naruto. Since Naruto had heard nothing of it before Sasuke had left on the trip, Naruto had a feeling that Sasuke knew already that he was going to break things off. It hurt knowing that Sasuke hadn't wanted to tell it to Naruto's face. Their goodbye kiss had been their very last and only Sasuke had known.

Recently, there had also been another rumor…. A rumor that Sasuke was engaged to someone. The heiress of a rival company in Otogakure. That the two companies would be merging into one.

Naruto took a deep breath, and unclenched his hand. There was no reason to get worked up over it all. It was done and over with, he needed to move on. Sasuke wasn't his life anymore, and it was better that way.

Naruto grimaced, and looked to his left. The bar was less crowded than the usual and there wasn't as much smoke as normal. That was when he caught sight of a redheaded man with seafoam green eyes staring at him from the bar. When their eyes locked, Naruto felt a bolt of electricity go through his body.

After a moment, Naruto tore his gaze away, his face hot and his heart beating slightly faster than normal. A few seconds passed, and Naruto couldn't help himself. He slowly looked up to where the man had been.

The spot was empty. A pang of disappointment passed through Naruto. He knew nothing would have come of it either way, but… it would have been nice to flirt, if nothing else.

With a quiet sigh, Naruto got up and made his way to the door. He didn't know why he'd come into the bar, so there was no point in staying any longer.

As the blond stepped out of the door, his stomach have a loud rumble. Naruto hesitated, hand going to his stomach. He had skipped breakfast, and completely forgot about lunch that day. Another growl from his stomach and Naruto succumbed to its demand.

Ramen it was.

But first he had to stop by his apartment to pick up his grocery shopping list. He'd forgotten to grab it earlier when he'd left for work that day.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"You've got to be kidding me..." Naruto ground out in disgust as he read the paper he had clutched in his hands. He'd found it tapped to his door.

It was a notice from his building manager that the building his apartment was located at was going to go under some remodeling and everyone was getting kicked out by the next month. The other building didn't have any open appartments so Naruto would have to find a different location altogether.

"Not even five months in this place and I've already got to leave? Couldn't they have told me about this before I moved in? Ugh!" Naruto clutched at his hair, groaning in frustration. He refused to acknowledge that little part in his brain where he vaguely remembered that clause in his rental agreement. No, right now he wanted to pout. And pout he would. "Life just wants to see me as miserable as possible, doesn't it?" He asked no one in particular.

After another self suffering sigh, Naruto unlocked his door and grabbed his grocery list before getting out and locking the door back up behind him.

Now he definitely needed his ramen fix. It always made him feel better.

"Yo, Naruto." A lazy drawl said as soon as Naruto walked into the Ramen restaurant.

"Shikamaru? I wasn't expecting to see you here!" The blonds mood immediately lightened up as he spotted his dark haired friend.

Ever since his semi-revelation about actually having friends, and that he was overthinking everything(except Sasuke- still an fucking asshole), Naruto had spoken to more than a few of the people he considered friends. Most, if not all, had been quite happy to see the cheerful Naruto back to his old self. A few had been oblivious about his sudden withdrawals, but only because they hadn't been around enough to actually notice.

Only Shikamaru had figured out the reason behind why the blond had been avoiding them. He'd dissuaded Naruto from that kind of thinking instantly and helped him put his life back together by listening to Naruto's rants and being there for the blond when he needed someone to talk to. "I missed lunch and figured this would be less troublesome than that new barbecue place. What about you? You seemed upset before."

Naruto nodded and ordered three bowls of pork ramen, before turning back to Shikamaru. "Well, I need to find a new place again. My current place is being remodeled and they're making us move out. Soo, I need to find a cheap place that I can move into right away. Or at least within a month." Naruto hadn't told anyone, but he had been putting aside any extra money left over from each paycheck.. It was in his savings account and he had planned on keeping it there for as long as possible. He'd prefer to save it for a downpayment on his own home or for emergencies. You never knew when those would pop up.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru shook his head and looked contemplative.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Naruto groaned and almost slouched but sat up as his bowl of ramen was placed in front of him. He immediately dug in, moaning in pleasure. Ramen was great, it was the best food ever.

"I know someone... Well, that's not exactly right. But whatever. I know someone who's brother moved into town and he needs a roommate. It's a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment near your work. Rent is split in half. I have his number if you want it. Someone might have moved in during that time but give him a call just in case." Shikamaru said, shaking his head at the way that Naruto ate.

"Eh? Really? That sounds like a good idea actually... Yeah! I'll call him and see it he still wants a roommate and how much it would be." Naruto hummed, feeling better about the whole situation already. Not that it was guaranteed but he now had another option instead of renting something on his own. He might even be able to save a bit more money that way. "What's his number? And his name?"

Shikamaru pulled out his phone, and scrolled through his contact list.

Putting his chopsticks down, Naruto mirrored Shikamaru's actions, except he opened the contact list and clicked on the new contact icon. Quickly, he typed in 'Possible Roommate' and waited for Shikamaru to find the information.

Naruto picked his chopsticks up again while he waited for Shikamaru to find the number. It looked like the man was looking through messages. A lot of messages. A lot of long messages. Naruto raised an eyebrow at the slight pink that suddenly appeared on Shikamaru's face. He scrolled faster and cleared his throat. It took a while longer to get to it.

"Here it is..."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Naruto couldn't help but fiddle nervously with the hem of his shirt as he waited for someone to answer the call or send his call to voicemail . Finally, the ringing stopped but whoever picked up didn't say anything for a long while and Naruto couldn't help but clear his throat nervously.

"... Hello, is this Gaara Sabaku? My names Naruto Uzumaki, and I heard from a friend that you were looking for a roommate...?"

A/N:

Special thanks to everyone who read this and wanted a continuation! You guys are awesome :D

A/N 2: As for the next chapter, that will be the last. I really didn't intend for it to be more than a one-shot, but because of how many of you wanted it to continue, I rethought it. My friend originally got me into thinking of writing more but I still wasn't convinced when I posted it until it got the response it did. Thank you all again!


	3. Chapter 3

Sasuke could admit that he had been spoiled for most, if not all of his life by his mother. He could clearly remember, as a young child, going to one of those stores that sold toys, all kinds of toys. He would walk around, his tiny hand held tightly by his mother as the went through the aisles. Every now and then, Sasuke would see something he liked and demand it. His father, if he had come along with them, would say no. However, Sasuke's mother would buy it and give it to him when they went back home again, or buy it right there if his father hadn't come along with them that time.

Throughout his childhood, that same scene would repeat itself. The 'no' from his father, and the 'yes' from his mother. Sasuke never knew if his parents ever fought because of it, but he doubted it would have made a difference to his behavior.

During his school years, especially in middle and high school, Sasuke's father paid less attention to him. Instead, Fugaku would encourage and praise his oldest son, Itachi.

That was when Sasuke found he wanted to actually be acknowledged by his father instead of his mother. He wanted his father to be proud of him for once.

Where his mother would pay constant attention to Sasuke, his father would hardly pay him any. It all went to Itachi.

With every day that passed, Sasuke found himself craving his father's attention and approval. Approval for something he did. For his accomplishments, for anything really.

Itachi was their father's everything. Sasuke... well Sasuke was above average, but he wasn't Itachi.

But now…

Now, his father was looking at him with something other than disinterest.

"I want you to take over the branch in Otogakure." Fugaku said, eyes locked onto Sasuke.

"You've been showing extremely pleasing progress in all your work. The branch is relatively new, as you well know. You will be working with another person for the moment, but eventually, you will be there on your own. You will need to move to Otogakure, because the branch will take all of your attention to make it successful."

Sasuke sat up straighter, and succeeded in keeping his smirk from showing.

"I know about your... partner." The displeasure on Fugaku's face was noticeable, and Sasuke couldn't help but start a little in surprise. He'd kept his and Naruto's relationship under the radar... Or so he'd thought. "I know that you believe that you have feelings for... him, but it would be in your best interest to call it off. Your life will be under intense scrutiny and I would prefer it if you no longer saw him. I would even consider giving you more say in the Main Branch if you completely focused on your work for a year and find a woman instead of... him."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, before narrowing in thought.

"I would like a blood grandchild, as Itachi had already stated his opinion on that request, I will hope that you at least grant us one." His father stated, before motioning that he was done.

As Sasuke walked out, he couldn't help but smirk. He was going to finally be better than Itachi.

Thoughts of Naruto were fleeting and only accompanied with a slight pang of regret as he hit send.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Hello! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! Nice to finally meet you!" Naruto grinned, ignoring the looks that other customers were sending him. Then he dropped the hand he had extended for his imaginary handshake with the imaginary Gaara. "No, no, no, no. That sounds too… hyper. He's gonna think I'm nuts."

Naruto groaned, his head dropping down to the table top with a soft thump, narrowly missing the cup of coffee he had bought. He'd gotten pictures of the apartment and the bedroom he would be in. Everything was nicer than the one he was in now and being that Shikamaru knew the guy, he was sure that there wouldn't be anything fishy. Everything had looked so nice, and he really wanted to move in. Not to mention that he really had no other choice besides the hotel. "All I'm doing is meeting my possible roommate, why the hell am I so freaking nervous?! It's not like it's a date!"

Though he'd sounded intimidating, so maybe that was why Naruto was nervous...With another groan, Naruto sat up so he could take a sip of his coffee.

That was when he noticed that he wasn't alone. The redheaded man with the seafoam colored eyes from the bar was standing right there, watching him. The hot guy that Naruto had been ogling was his new possible roommate. His new possible roommate had heard him talking to himself. Or maybe it wasn't his new possible roommate and the man had just stopped to stare at him because Naruto was nuts.

The man looked… amused. "Naruto Uzumaki?"

There was absolutely no way to stop the massive blush from appearing on Naruto's face. Absolutely no way. "Ah… That would be me… Gaara Sabaku, I take it?" Naruto was finally able to reply, feeling mortified, but couldn't seem to take his eyes away from Gaara's. It felt like his face got even hotter, and possibly redder.

Gaara nodded, one side of his lips twitched upwards as he reached over to shake Naruto's hand. As soon as their hands touched, Naruto shivered. Gaara's hand was warm, smooth and strong. Naruto couldn't help but like the feel of it. Thankfully, his red face had faded, and he probably didn't look like a tomato anymore.

"When would you be able to move in?" Gaara asked, and it seemed reluctant to let go of Naruto's hand.

Naruto knew how he felt, he'd wanted to keep Gaara's hand in his own as well. Then the words that Gaara said registered to his mind. "Wha- you mean it?" Naruto gasped, and then blushed again as Gaara nodded, lips in a sort of half smile that made Naruto's heart beat loudly like a drum.

"Of course." Gaara said with a twist of his lips. "Shikamaru's told me all about you, you have a job, and I have a room." It seemed like the redhead was about to say more, but held himself back.

Those words made Naruto beam at the redhead. "Thank you! I can move in at any time before the first. The sooner the better!"

"Do you need any help?" Gaara asked.

"Huh? Do you mean right now?"

"The sooner the better, right?" Gaara seemed to smirk slightly, and Naruto had to clear his throat. He'd never been more attracted to someone like that. He'd thought Sasuke had been it, but this…For a second, Naruto hesitated. If he went with Gaara, he knew it would turn into more. The way that Gaara watched him… There was no way that nothing would happen. Unless Naruto didn't let it.

Naruto nodded. Even if it didn't turn into anything big, he wouldn't let his past hurt him anymore. "I don't have much, didn't even really buy a bed yet, so nothing too heavy. I think we can get it all in one trip. I can barrow Shikamaru's truck."

Gaara got up. "There's no need. I brought my truck with me."

"Awesome!" Naruto grinned brightly, following the redhead out the door of the cafe. "It's not far and really, not a lot of stuff."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Ugh." Naruto groaned,throwing himself on the couch. He still hadn't been able to buy a bed, and throwing yourself on a futon just didn't give the same satisfaction as a bed. It already had been a few weeks of living with Gaara and if he was completely honest, it was heaven. They had been flirting with each other, and Gaara had taken to brushing against Naruto "accidentally", each touch making Naruto burn for more.

Gaara seemed to know not to push anything, either that or he was waiting for Naruto to make the first move. Naruto wanted to, oh god, did he want to. Yet, there was this… something that held him back. Again, he groaned, this time in frustration with himself and his stupid hesitation and his stupid insecurities.

"What's the matter?"

"Gah!" Naruto screamed, and fell off the couch with a loud thud. Thankfully, his head missed the table by a few inches. "Gaara! When did you get there?"

"I've been here." Amusement oozed through every word, making Naruto blush as he caught the redheads gaze.

Naruto scrambled to his feet when he noticed that he was staring and maybe drooling a bit, and sat back on the couch with a flush on his face.

Gaara raised his eyebrow again.

"Umm, what?" Naruto asked after a few seconds, face getting hotter..

Gaara chuckled slightly. "What's the matter?" Gaara repeated his first question.

"Oh! N-nothing, really. I was just hungry and I don't have any ramen left." Naruto lied, not wanting to say what he'd really been thinking, which was about Gaara and Naruto not being able to make a move.

The redhead didn't seem to believe him. "Really?"

Naruto looked away shyly, and nodded his head. His mouth had suddenly gone dry and he tried to clear his throat. He looked at Gaara from the corner of his eye and caught Gaara's gaze, and froze. Somehow, without Naruto noticing, he had gotten closer.

Then, the redhead leaned in, and kissed him. Gaara's lip were soft and Naruto melted into the kiss. He found his hands fisting into the other man's shirt, keeping him close. There was a hand on the back of his head, the touch firm, yet gentle. Naruto knew he could break away if he wanted to.

But he didn't want to.

He didn't want to.

OoOoOoOoOoOo Months later OoOoOoOoOoOo

The groan left Naruto's mouth, and he rolled over, hands reaching over to turn off the blasted noise that the alarm clock was making.

A soft chuckled from beside him, made Naruto freeze, before a hand started wandering around his chest and stomach. "Gaara…" Naruto groaned, and then snuggled up the the nicely defined chest.

"Up, I made breakfast. My brother called, we're needed in the office." Gaara ran his fingers through Naruto's hair, before getting up.

Naruto groaned in disappointment, burying his face into his pillow, then peeking up at his boyfriend. "But it's Saturday. We're off on Saturday's."

"I've been putting off meeting Itachi, he's at the office bugging my brother apparently. Something about me stealing his best secretary and the least I could do is meet when he wanted." Gaara smirked and headed to the kitchen, knowing that Naruto was watching him, and that he would jump up from the bed soon.

Sure enough, the blond, practically fell of the bed and went into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face, before heading to the kitchen where he found the redhead taking some toast out of the toaster and placing it onto a plate full of eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. "Mmm, that looks delicious." And it wasn't just the food that he was talking about.

Naruto walked behind Gaara and wrapped his arms around him, lips peppering kisses over the redheads back and shoulder. "I love you."

Green eyes sparkled and caught Naruto's blue one. Gaara's body twisted, and he captured Naruto's lips in a deep kiss that left the blond breathless and wishing that they had time to do more than kiss.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Naruto walked in behind Gaara, fumbling with the papers he'd managed to scramble together, and the briefcase that held a slightly more organized set of papers. In his mind, he groaned to himself. Why Gaara hadn't told him about the meeting earlier (like maybe the day before?), Naruto didn't know, but even with the wonderful breakfast and breathtaking kiss, he still wanted to smack Gaara. Unneeded stress was so unnecessary.

"Naruto."

"Huh?" He was so lost in his inner grumblings that the blond hadn't noticed that they had made it to the door of the meeting room and that Gaara had stopped walking, causing Naruto to run into him. Luckily he'd managed to stop from dropping everything onto the floor.

He chuckled at the glare that Naruto sent him before he leaned in and kissed him, right there at the door. "Thank you, you're the best." The redheaded man walked through the doors, leaving a highly flushed Naruto behind him. Since the walls were glass, Naruto was sure that anyone in the room had seen that kiss. Yet, a shy smile played on his lips as he followed Gaara towards the white board on the other side of the room.

That was when his eyes met obsidian ones.

At one point, those eyes would make his heart skip a beat, and he wouldn't be able to look away. At one point, his heart would beat rapidly, and he wouldn't have been able to think of anything else. At one point, he thought he would always love those eyes on him.

Today, they did nothing. Naruto only nodded in greeting before he set his things down on the table, the blush and smile caused by Gaara still on his face.

Naruto never noticed the look that crossed Sasuke's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I am so sorry it took me forever to finish. Thank you for reading and I hope you guys enjoyed it.


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